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Single Idea 20115

[filed under theme 15. Nature of Minds / B. Features of Minds / 1. Consciousness / d. Purpose of consciousness ]

Full Idea

We could think, feel, will and remember, and we could also 'act', and yet none of this would have to enter our consciousness. The whole of life would be possible without, as it were, seeing itself in a mirror.

Gist of Idea

All of our normal mental life could be conducted without consciousness

Source

Friedrich Nietzsche (The Gay (Joyful) Science [1882], §354)

Book Ref

Nietzsche,Friedrich: 'The Gay Science', ed/tr. Kaufmann,Walter [Vintage 1974], p.297

A Reaction

He credits Leibniz with this line of thought. Nowadays the unconscious aspects of thought are a commonplace, not just from Freud, but from neuroscience. We have no idea how conscious other animals are. Nietzsche attributes consciousness to communication.

The 33 ideas from 'The Gay (Joyful) Science'

6579 Nietzsche's perspectivism says our worldview depends on our personality [Nietzsche, by Fogelin]
4275 You cannot advocate joyful wisdom while rejecting pity, because the two are complementary [Scruton on Nietzsche]
20125 The ethical teacher exists to give purpose to what happens necessarily and without purpose [Nietzsche]
20198 Many virtues are harmful traps, but that is why other people praise them [Nietzsche]
9306 To ward off boredom at any cost is vulgar [Nietzsche]
20126 The strength of knowledge is not its truth, but its entrenchment in our culture [Nietzsche]
24076 A morality ranks human drives and actions, for the sake of the herd, and subordinating individuals [Nietzsche]
4423 We assume causes, geometry, motion, bodies etc to live, but they haven't been proved [Nietzsche]
2931 God is dead, and we have killed him [Nietzsche]
24077 Necessity is thought to require an event, but is only an after-effect of the event [Nietzsche]
24078 Thoughts cannot be fully reproduced in words [Nietzsche]
24079 The best life is the dangerous life [Nietzsche]
24080 We should give style to our character - by applying an artistic plan to its strengths and weaknesses [Nietzsche]
20141 Higher human beings see and hear far more than others, and do it more thoughtfully [Nietzsche]
24081 Most of our intellectual activity is unconscious [Nietzsche]
2933 Why do you listen to the voice of your conscience? [Nietzsche]
2932 'Know thyself' is impossible and ridiculous [Nietzsche]
2935 No two actions are the same [Nietzsche]
2934 To see one's own judgement as a universal law is selfish [Nietzsche]
2936 Imagine if before each of your actions you had to accept repeating the action over and over again [Nietzsche]
6842 Nietzsche says facing up to the eternal return of meaninglessness is the response to nihilism [Nietzsche, by Critchley]
24082 Is the will to truth the desire to avoid deception? [Nietzsche]
22471 Nietzsche thought it 'childish' to say morality isn't binding because it varies between cultures [Nietzsche, by Foot]
20121 Grammar only reveals popular metaphysics [Nietzsche]
20122 We have no organ for knowledge or truth; we only 'know' what is useful to the human herd [Nietzsche]
20119 We became increasingly conscious of our sense impressions in order to communicate them [Nietzsche]
20115 All of our normal mental life could be conducted without consciousness [Nietzsche]
20117 Only the need for communication has led to consciousness developing [Nietzsche]
20118 Only our conscious thought is verbal, and this shows the origin of consciousness [Nietzsche]
20116 Most of our lives, even the important parts, take place outside of consciousness [Nietzsche]
20120 Whatever moves into consciousness becomes thereby much more superficial [Nietzsche]
20360 We Germans value becoming and development more highly than mere being of what 'is' [Nietzsche]
24083 It would be absurd to say we are only permitted our own single perspective [Nietzsche]